ISSUE No.19 // JULY 2021

#GROWFOODTOURISM

/noun 1. the pursuit of unique and memorable eating and drinking experiences.

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”

— Ibn Battuta, Moroccan Explorer

1 // NEWS
NEW FOOD TOURISM ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM

George Brown College's Centre for Hospitality & Tourism has created a new Food Tourism Entrepreneurship graduate certificate program that prepares graduates to create "tastes of place" experiences that support local economies by fostering relationships between stakeholders in agriculture, hospitality and tourism.

In collaboration with George Brown College, our staff are assisting in the development and execution of curriculum for the Gastronomy and Tastes of Place I & II, and Food Writing & Social Media of Food courses.

2 // PROJECT UPDATES
FOOTHILLS TOURISM AGRITOURISM RESEARCH SUMMARY REPORT

In partnership with the Foothills Tourism Association, we developed an Agritourism Research Summary Report to build awareness around factors affecting agritourism development in the Foothills. We also developed a virtual toolkit for agritourism business owners through this project, including business case studies and clips from the Forum on Agritourism, which you can access here.

ELEVATING CANADIAN EXPERIENCES (ECE) HUB

In collaboration with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) and Twenty31 Consulting Inc., our team delivered over 100 workshops and webinars to over 4000 participants and facilitated the co-creation of 9 unique destination development strategies - now available through the ECE Hub. Our collaborative goal was to support culinary tourism and winter/shoulder season capacity development at both the operator and destination levels, focusing on rural and remote regions across Canada.

3 // TASTES OF PLACE
CONCORD GRAPES IN ONTARIO
By Caroline Morrow

Come late summer and early fall; Concord grapes are one of the quintessential tastes of Ontario! The varietal was developed in the 1800s and is grown across New England in the United States and Ontario in Canada. These grapes with sour skins and a sweet flesh can be eaten raw or turned into pies, jams, and jellies. Their skins are characterized by a cloudy bloom that hides a rich purple colour underneath. The season doesn't last long, and it's worth a trip to grab a basket of your own!

4 // TOOLS & RESOURCES
EVOLVING RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES ON FOOD AND GASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCES IN TOURISM

This paper by Professor Dr. Greg Richards of Tilburg University explores Gastronomy as an increasingly important element of tourism experiences.

"Gastronomic experience research in tourism mirrors the evolution in management and marketing theory from rational information processing approaches to emotional and hedonistic approaches and analysis of relationality and co-creation. The paper sketches a development from Experience 1.0 (producer-orientated) to Experience 2.0 (co-creation) to Experience 3.0 (foodscapes) in gastronomic experiences in tourism research."

5 // ARTICLES
ONTARIO'S NEWCOMER CULTURES AND FOOD IDENTITIES CREATE VIBRANT CULINARY TOURISM

By Camilo Montoya-Guevara

With the largest population in Canada, Ontario is great jumping point from where to explore newcomer contributions to cultural traditions and food identities that enrich Canada’s culinary tourism landscape!

Ontario is home to close to 40% of Canada’s population and home to 11 of Canada’s top 20 cities with the fastest population growth. Across the province, about one quarter of all Ontarians speak a non-Indigenous or official language as their original language, with more than 200 different languages spoken. With this linguistic diversity, we can draw parallels to the culinary diversity present in the province. Food and cooking draw from language, and much like languages adapt and change, so too do culinary traditions.

STORYTELLING THROUGH PODCASTS

By Nastasha Alli

Podcasts are an increasingly popular way to reach new audiences, and keep your current supporters engaged with your brand or business. Many people listen to podcasts while they are driving, cooking, out for a stroll, or simply enjoying some leisure time. While podcast episodes can be as short as several minutes, or as long as a full-length movie, a good podcast should always have lively conversation between the host(s) and guest(s), and something that listeners can take away from the interview.

By sharing stories about what you do best, in your voice and through your experiences – you can become the star of your own podcast, too.

6 // EVENTS
TOURISM CONGRESS
by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Join TIAC for two days of thought-provoking keynotes, insights into industry trends, practical and insightful sessions, and plenty of networking opportunities for in-person and virtual participants. Join the congress in person in Ottawa, or through their virtual platform from November 30th to December 1st, 2021.

The Culinary Tourism Alliance is not-for-profit devoted to bridging the gap between the food & drink and travel industries. This newsletter is our way of sharing news, events, tools and resources with you - partners who help us grow food tourism.

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Culinary Tourism Alliance
All rights reserved.